Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Powell Library

When I looked at "The Powell Tribune" on line this morning, I was interested in one of the main front page stories - that of the Powell Library remodel. The old-fashioned '30s-style library (my uneducated guess as to period of architecture) (across the street from the old high school was certainly one of my favorite places to go in Powell. The first visit I remember was in the second grade, when I was often sent to the library during recess time (by myself) to check out three books at a time. My teacher must have been frustrated with me, because I was sent there often, and then required to read the books to myself in class. The habit stayed with me all through my schooling. Louise read "Jane Eyre" and "Gone With the Wind" when I was in the sixth grade, so I would sneak times to read from her books. (Only high school students could check those books out.) Six grade was a discovery year - I could put an open book on my old-fashioned desk seat, and keep track of the lesson at the same time. Reading under the covers with a flashlight was something I could do when Louise stayed overnight with a friend. In high school, I discovered that there were other books than fiction, and my reading life was greatly expanded. When I taught school in the '70's, I looked up some of the books I had read in high school, and found that only one or two students had checked out books like "HenryEsmond" and others of the old classics - and my name was still on the check-out card. The article in the paper mentioned that books that had not been read recently were removed from the shelves. Wish I had been there to claim some of them. The library was always a haven for me. I'm sure that the library is now very modern, with computers, and other up-to-date technology. It will be interesting to visit when we are next in Powell - a few years from now, probably. Take a minute now to go to the Tribune website.

35 comments:

As I read your comments about the library, I could smell the musty books that could only be identified in that place. Getting those old books would be as good as inheriting the books from the Penrose church.

I loved the old library and our trips to town that would include trading one "stack" of books (as in more than one) for another. It would have been fun to go through the cast offs. You are right about the smell. And if we said we would meet friends in front of the library, every one knew exactly where that was. Another fun memory of what seems to have been another life.

Yes Liz, you got out of a lot of work with your nose in a book (or 2 or 3 simultaneously) while the rest of us slaved away. Ida Miller. Looked down her nose at me every time she raised her little pencil with the date stamp as if she didn't trust me to take another precious book from her library. She once caught me on my way back from town and paid me 25 cents to shovel the sidewalk. The Billy Whiskers books were on the shelf near the corner on the south side. I was the only one in first grade with a library card, but that was thanks to Louise who was practicing her elementary special ed skills on me. Mother ordered boxes of books from the Cody library which had a whole lot more books every summer. While I was fooling around and shooting pool, Liz was reading her way through the Powell Library which the taxpayers generously provided for her personal benefit.

For those reading the Powell Tribune we may have found another source of energy. First they are going to tear down the old exhibit hall at the fair grounds. This probably only means something to Dwight and myself. I met my love of the moment in that hall, a cowgirl from Meteetse, but enough about that.

Father was on a tear when Powell built the natatorium, said he'd "never swim there." I believe that he was true to his word even when the church had a swim night there. Can you imagine what he would say about a 2 million dollar out house? I would love to hear the words in his own voice. MMMM... maybe I can hear it, it's just a hoot.

Steve, you are right about the natatorium, however Dad attended many concerts, my graduation and your graduation, etc., in the better half of that building. It was quite a remarkable facility for little PHS.

We can run the whole blog for weeks with the tidbits from the front page of the Powell Tribune. Initially, I purloined a picture of the new library from the Tribune page, but Dwight saved my bacon by removing it. By the way, Dwight, we paid taxes, too - it was my privilege to use them up by reading lots of books. Everyone had the same opportunity, I think. Steve, does Mary Lynn know about your old light o' love? What a lurid past is revealed.

What do you mean I removed a library picture? I never even saw it. As for the exhibit hall, I baby sat my pigs there for two or three fairs and won many ribbons. But I am still puzzled about the complex interrelationships between my pigs, the exhibit hall, Steve's wonder woman from Meeteetse, the library, and the picture which I never saw and know nothing about. Will someone help me out here?

The interrelationship comes from PT stories. Powell's renovations into the new century, i.e. tearing down the exhibit hall and the building of a 2 million dollar outhouse. You always have to throw in a dame to keep interest in the story.

So while I have obediently been trying to find a photo of the Powell Library that Liz could legally add to this post, you have all been out having fun without said item. Steve, was your escapade during the fair? Dwight, what were you doing in town...probably during lunch hour? What's the expensive outhouse? Don't make me read the PT to find the answers.

I was so excited when I logged on and saw there were 14 comments. That must mean something really good has stirred some one's memories - or not. At least some people got to go to the fair. I never got to go, so I have no idea what I missed. Did Mother and Dad ever go to the fair?

Go back and read the first page of the online Powell Tribune - you'll learn all about the expensive outhouse, as well as other important tidbits. It's interesting what happens when we don't really have anything to post?????

You got that right! There are so many unresolved issues that have arisen from this post and comments that it may take awhile to get them all done.For instance, we have not covered WHY Dwight was coming back from downtown and got a paying job shoveling the snow for library users (Elizabeth) to reach the front door. What was he doing downtown?

Downtown was where all the excitement was after 1 1/2 hrs on school bus. Downtown is where I spent study hall time, taking the FFA news to the Powell Tribune. As a result I never learned anything and graduated ignorant. I hated shoveling the library walk.

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